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Obrimos
The Obrimos are a magical path whose ruling Arcana are Forces and Prime. They are also known as the Theurgists on the Path of the Mighty, Scions of the Watchtower of the Golden Key in the Realm of the Aether, Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres and Abode of Angels. Their theme and their mood is Hope. The Obrimos specialise in the Arcana of Forces and Prime, and suffer penalties when studying the Arcanum of Death. They approach the Supernal through Power and Command. Characteristics The Obrimos, often called Theurgists, are of the awakened who draw their power from the Realm of Aether, the realm of angels, gods, and magic unbound. The Obrimos are mostly thought of as arrogant, self-absorbed, and zealously moralistic. Indeed, a great many of those who walk the Path of the Mighty live up to this stereotype perfectly. Many, however are of a far more pleasant bent. They can be virtuous paladins, stalwart defenders of mankind, simply people who wish to do the right thing by other people, yet more are as morally indefinable as anybody else. Though they don't all believe in the same god or gods, and many don't believe in such entities at all, the Obrimos path as a whole is devoted to making the will of the Divine manifest on Earth, though how they define “the Divine” seems to vary drastically. Some feel the Divine to be a patriarchal god of judgment. Others sense the Divine as a manifestation of immanent Nature, while still others feel it to be an ongoing sentient process of self-aware coincidence. Whatever they feel the Divine to be — and many take years trying to discern just what force it is they serve — the Mighty all agree that they were Awakened to serve as Its warriors. They believe, for the most part, in various and sometimes misguided ideals of justice, virtue and honour, all directed towards making what they perceive as a better world. The main personality trait that unites all the disparate philosophies of the Obrimos is their convictions. Theurgists are usually extremely self-assured and secure in their power and their righteousness. This attitude makes them rather less susceptible to self-doubt than others, but also makes them both arrogant and at times over-confident. They hold the nigh-on-unshakable certainty that their ideals are the right ones for the world, despite what anyone else (even another Obrimos) has to say. They can usually be trusted to live up to these ideals, making them reliable and honest, but also rigidly moral and predictable to a fault. Many are outspokenly religious, from whence the title of Theurgists originates, and often the 'Divine' ideals they bear would seem repugnant to everyday people. It's this fanaticism and devotion to even the most flawed of ideals that lead a large number of Obrimos to become Banishers. Walkers on the Path of the Mighty are known to the less tolerant members of other Paths as haughty, hypocritical, and holier-than-thou. But like all stereotypes, this view only reflects the very worst examples of Obrimos fervour, passion, and morality. Though they possess their flaws, the ranks of the Obrimos are filled with as many noble idealists as pushy preachers. The supposedly divine connection of the Obrimos makes them extremely assured and confident, and this can lead to their trademark but just often leads to a charitable, and truly noble soul. The Obrimos in turn (or at least the more egotistical amongst them) perceive other Paths as either barbarians or morally bankrupt. Philosophy The Obrimos see the Fallen World as just that: less than the ideal of the Supernal Realm, imperfect, broken. This tends to go hand-in-hand with many Obrimos attitudes: rejection of the material world, denial of the physical and a focus on intellectual and spiritual matters. Such secrecy is necessary in the face of the Quiescence, but may also contribute the idea among the Obrimos — and the Awakened in general — that the Obrimos are the chosen ones. The pride that comes with being set above mundane humanity has often been their undoing. The Path of the Mighty does not get its name merely from the power invested in the chosen. To be one of the chosen and to walk the Path, you have to have great strength right from the very beginning. Many outsiders think “strength” means the bluster and pride they associate with Theurgists, but strength is just as often a quiet and unassuming quality. Strength is not just physical endurance, but the spiritual fortitude and resolve to go on when all else seems hopeless, to set aside preconceptions and embrace new truths, to do what needs to be done when no one else is willing or able to step up. It is the humble strength that comes from faith, and, in the hands of the Theurgists, it is a power that can literally move mountains. Strength comes with tempering, and Theurgists are tempered in the Supernal Fires of Creation, the forge that is the Realm of Aether. The experience of Awakening is transcendent to them, but also a trial, and Obrimos mystery plays are often tests of faith and understanding before the newly chosen place their names alongside the others in the Watchtower of the Golden Key. Although the chosen are willing to use force when necessary, strength does not always involve force. Strength is also a matter of harmony with one’s self and one’s purpose. Theurgists seek this divine oneness, with their destiny, their calling — their dharma or true will, as some call it. When moving in harmony with such universal forces, the mage is as inexorable as the tides, as unstoppable as the march of time. Of course, strength does not always come with wisdom, and Theurgists have been known to apply their strength at times when a more subtle approach would be better. This is when they also misunderstand the nature of their Path. Strength, properly and patiently applied, can accomplish great things, but it is also a destructive force. Clumsy or misguided applications of power result in tragedy, so following the Path of the Mighty involves learning the proper uses of one’s own strength, before it is too late. Although Theurgists wield great power, their greatest strength is the power of hope. Awakening to the celestial glory of the Aether grants Theurgists a vision of what can be, and that vision helps to sustain them through the greatest trials. Born into a world of darkness, they are shown the light, lifted up above the Fallen World. Although the momentary oneness and the glimpse of the Invisible Truth slip away just as quickly as it came, the Obrimos are left with the promise and potential of finding it once again. The Golden Key that is the sign of their Watchtower opens the doorways of perception and unlocks the gates of the Path to reach the Invisible Truth. The Obrimos believe in a better world; they have to, because they’ve been there and seen the potential for themselves. Style For the Obrimos, the whole world hums with power. Everything desires to burn, to unfold and to transcend. Streams of undifferentiated energy drift along the world, coiling around energy sources or manifesting as the directions of the wind or the flames of a fire. By assuming divine authority through his Will, the Obrimos takes command of this power and gives it a new purpose. More subtly, within the ever present streams of Prime, the Obrimos sees Mandalas of power, patterns that even other mages can perceive as the basic of Glyphs. For the Obrimos, they are visual interpretations of all forms of power and authority that he can direct by virtue of his own power and, through inscriptions into this flow, shape according to his designs. Occult Correspondences The flame of the Path of the Mighty glimmers in many of the ideas and beliefs of the Sleepers. Some are distortions of the ancient teachings of the Obrimos, others perhaps deep and dim recollections of the truth, cloaked in symbols the Sleepers can understand. None can truly say for certain if the Theurgists created or inspired these teachings, or if these sparks of illumination merely served to ignite the flames of Obrimos Awakenings and guide initiates to the Golden Spire. The strongest of these connections is drawn from the mortal faith. Monotheistic tendencies, but also mystery cults like Gnosticism and the Kabbalah exert and reflect the ideals of the Obrimos. Other favored correspondences are Neo-Platonism, Hermeticism and various New Age movements that claim “Ascension”. In the modern ages, Quantum physics also become more and more popular by Obrimos mages. Western elemental systems nearly universally assign the Obrimoi to the element of Fire, while Eastern systems either attribute them to fire (in the Hiden Gogyo Bujutsu) or the element of wood (in taoistic influenced consilia). In the Neolithic Age, the Obrimoi were associated with the Storm, as its roar symbolized Forces and the stillness within the heart of a storm Prime. The Free Council assigns three cards to the Obrimos path: The Hierophant and the High Priestess symbolize the dual approach of the Path, with the Hierophant representing the scientifical approach while the High Priestess represents the mystical approach. The Mystery Card of the Path is The Strength, representing the Obrimos' way of confronting the Mysteries. Nimbus The nimbus of the Obrimos is truly worthy of the name, since it most often manifests as the light, sound and sheer power wielded by the chosen. The Obrimos are the most given to classical auras or haloes of celestial light, sometimes accompanied by the sound of distant thunder or ethereal music. Their light is often golden or pure white, but appears in all the colors of the rainbow, sometimes as pure light, others as “cold fire” that flickers but does not burn. Obrimos Nimbi are rather uniform in contrast to other Paths, but tend to reflect the style of magic of the mage in more subtle ways. Most Theurgists have a particular color or sound (or range of colors and sounds) associated with their nimbus, as individual as a fingerprint, and associated with the mage’s personality and Awakening. Examples * Enlightening- Things become self-luminous, seeming to glow from within, and the air becomes charged with energy, accompanied by the smell of burning ozone or unseen smoke. Everything seems to be preordained, divinely chosen. With powerful magic, a distant choir might be heard. Obrimos Legacies *'Ascended Adept' – Ascended Adepts are mages who hold the mind as far superior to the body, and practise a path that, through training, meditation, and discipline, allows them to leave their bodies temporarily and exist for a while as energy. *'Choir of the Hashmallim' – The Choir of the Hashmallim channels the powers of the Aether into the Fallen World to combat abyssal intrusions. The zealotry of those on the Path of the Mighty can be overwhelming for the other Paths; the Choir focuses this zeal and directs it solely against the power of the Abyss. The more proficient are even able to temporary summon the Angels themselves into the broken reality of the Fallen World. *'Daksha' – The Daksha believe in two things; the magical evolution of humanity, and that Atlantis can be rebuilt by the Awakened. They seek to transform themselves into these higher humans, believing that when enough Daksha have evolved, humanity will be set back on a natural cycle of ascension to the Supernal Realms. *'Eye of Ain Soph' – The Eyes of Ain Soph are scholar-mages who seek to understand why magic is the way it is, devoting their efforts to understanding the nature of magic in all its manifestations. Their ultimate goal is the complete understanding of magic in all its facets. *'Perfected Adept' – These mages practise intense mental and physical discipline as a path to enlightenment. They are formidable martial artists and fighters, and gain the power to alter their own body functions and chi flow, making them yet more powerful. *'Pure Sovereign' – The Pure Sovereigns are mages who hone their bodies and minds to incredible perfection, following the idea that a suitable ruler must be a mental and physical prodigy. Truly the Sovereigns have succeeded, as many are capable of over a hundred years beyond a normal human lifespan. In the process they gain near-total control over their bodily functions and mental processes. *'Steward of the Celestial Orrery '– The Stewards are the oracles and diviners of the Silver Ladder. They claim to follow the “ineffable will of the Oracles” ferociously and to the letter, a dedication which sparks admiration amongst their fellow Théarchs. Unlike many prophets, the Stewards do not merely passively read the future for others; they act on their own visions in an effort to sculpt the destinies they foresee. *'Tamer of Fire' – This Elemental Legacy specialises in the element of Fire. Tamers of Fire are mighty heroes, champion warriors who defend the weak and lead armies into battle. They gain considerable power over fire and heat using their words. *'Tellurians'- The Tellurians are students of the delicate ley webs that underpin the earth. They study the flow of energy and how it relates to Hallows and similar refugees of Supernal magic in the Fallen World. *'Thrice-Great' – The Thrice-Great are a Legacy of Ptolemaic astrologer-priests, who believe that by appeasing the spirit courts of the Ptolemaic celestial bodies, they can gain spiritual enlightenment. They regard modern astronomical ideas as heresy. *'Transhuman Engineer' – The Transhuman Engineers are a techgnostic Legacy who believe in a sort of mechanical ascension. They believe that human technological advancement is progressing forward at an ever-faster rate, and that it won’t be too long before this rate becomes so fast that everything about humanity will change in the blink of an eyelid. Through this technological advancement, the Engineers seek to transcend their mortal selves, becoming enlightened through the power of science. *'Whipping Boys' (both right- and left-handed)- The Whipping Boys are Legacy originating in San Francisco that uses S&M techniques to access the Supernal Realms by using pain to unchackle their consciousness. Left-handed members use these techniques to numb their emotions up to the point of sociopathy. *'Cloud Infinite' (left-handed) – Cloud Infinite is a new Legacy of computer specialists that uses the potential of Sleeper souls as remote servers to enhance their own mental capabilities. In the process, they wear the used souls out, diminishing their chance to Awaken. *'Cwnn Annwn' (left-handed) – The Cwnn Annwn have rejected the quest for the Realms Supernal, instead bent on creating their own paradise far from the Exarchs reach. To this end, they have made a pact with entities from the Lower Depths, and have created their own paradisical realm within the barren wastes of the Depths. By destroying patterns in the Fallen World, the Cwnn Annwn translate them into their own homerealm. *'Echo Walker' (left-handed) – The Echo Walkers believe that the Most High of Aether are in fact the mystical “Ones Before”, a proto-human race possessed of incredible magical powers. They gain the power to emulate the traits of these creatures, and to gaze upon them in Aether. But to do so, the mage must see through another person’s soul, an act which knocks said soul out of alignment. Society Obrimos have a thing for hierarchy. If there are two in a room, they need to determine who outranks whom. If several Obrimos work together, they all want an organizational chart to show who falls where in the chain of command and who is responsible for what. Indeed, Obrimos is one of the more likely Paths to hold a forum among its numbers (as opposed to caucuses of the mystic orders, which are far more common). Theurgists tend to be community-minded, even if they don’t always get along among their own ranks. The meeting place for an Obrimos forum is typically a Theurgist sanctum in the area, although smaller groups meet less formally wherever they can. The choice of meeting-place can sometimes be controversial, depending on the spiritual bent of the individual Theurgists; meeting in a local ashram or Catholic church may pose issues for some, for example. The forum is usually able to smooth over such differences. Theurgists in an area gather to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern, ranging from spirited debates on theology and religion over drinks to sober discussions on how to best defend against threats to the Awakened, the chosen and the Sleeper community. Most Obrimos forums open with a general invocation to the Aether and the Supernal Light for blessing, protection and guidance. Full ceremonies are less common, usually reserved for recognizing important events, particularly initiations (or, far less often, casting out a member of the community). References * , p.100-129 * http://theonyxpath.com/pathfinding/ * , p.29-31 * ,p.49 pl:Obrimos Category:Mage: The Awakening glossary